LAS VEGAS—Samsung considers TVs, smartphones, and home appliances its pillar products, but there’s only so much tech you can squeeze into a refrigerator before it becomes absurd. So Samsung took a different approach with its 2015 appliances and made them more practical.

The two standouts Samsung showcased at its CES event on Monday were a dual-door oven range, designed for cooking two dishes at different temperatures, and the Activewash washing machine with a built-in sink for pretreating stains.

The advancements aren’t particularly sexy as far as new products go, but they fit in with Samsung’s low-key presence at CES this year, the highlight of which is the company’s new Tizen-based SUHD curved TVs. Samsung’s press conferences are reliably over-the-top (remember director Michael Bay’s panicked exit at last year’s CES?), but there were zero surprises this time around.

The company did introduce a tablet, but in a strange twist, it’s a limited edition device packaged as part of the Chef Collection of high-end kitchen appliances. The tablet includes a pre-installed recipe app and a curated suite of other cooking apps from Samsung partners, plus a butcher block and engraved tablet stand. To get the free tablet, all you have to do is buy a Chef Collection refrigerator, WaterWall diswasher, and a new oven range by March 31, then fill out a rebate form. So easy!

OK, so the tablet isn’t that great of a deal, but if you’re upgrading your kitchen anytime soon, Samsung’s new dual-door range and Activewash top-load laundry machine go on sale this spring.

This story, "Samsung gets practical with 2015 appliances" was originally published by
TechHive.

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